Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-07
CITY AND DISTRICT.
ANCIENT TIME.KEEPEIsS.
1lew Time Was Measured by Creeks
and ROnaans-The Rude Beginning
90 the Modern Clock.

How time was measured In ancient Greece ant
Rome was the subject Of q paper, the first OF q
series by Col. F. A. Seely, read before the Anthro
biological Society at the Cosmos Club Tuesday even
Ing. Col seey, in his Introductory remarks, refer
red to the present as "the era OF seconds" wher
the complex Affairs Of man required the most mi
mute division and record of time, q need which
had been met by the Invention OF accurate time
pieces or modern character. He suggested also
that the methods Of measuring or keeping time
served as indices Of the progress of people IN
civilization. He referred to the sun-dial, The
/ water clock. and the graduated candle as the
earlier forms OF time-pieces, and traced The
origin OF the sun-dtal, so far as facts were
known, 70 the East, to the Babylonians
and Chaldeans. Among the Egyptians, he
Thought the sun-dial did not come into general
use, put knowledge Of it was In possession OF the
by the priesthood. He thought it plausible to
conclude that the dial was introduced In Greece
from Egypt. At first the dial was simply post.
battle; when 1t cast shadow II feet long, it was
Time ior dinner. Mathematics were afterwards
appned SO as TO make the dial somewhat accu-
on days when the sun was obscured. Moreover,
ILLS ume. piece was out OF doors, and failed In
many W ways to meet the more exactng require
menIs OF advancing civilization.
THE WATER CLOCK.
Tnen came the water clock, which was at first
not time-keeper, but ume-check, growing out
OF the need OF some instrument to measure the
passage OF time for brief interval so that the
LINE ailo1ted 30 public speaker could be accu-
form appeared among the Malays. THIS was
ACC, c0Scoanut,shell with perforation In 1t. The
s sa was placed in vessel of water, and slowly
unit Of measurement In India time was meas
ufvd ON the same principle but instead OF cocoa
nut-snell copper vessel with hole In the bottom
III. n U1f0 rrff
a stop-cock at the bottom was employed. and
the time required for the water in this vessel TO
run out into another was the basis Of measure
ment. Orators were allowed certain number Of
gallons OF water. Cases for argument before tri-
Dunals were called wet" or dry according to
were the soonest disposed OF. This simple tnstru-
ment was improved until it became constant
une.Seeper as Wen as a time check First, the
the lapse OF time; then noat was introduced
with a travelling rod or index, which passed along
graduated scale. Means were also introduced
Ior keeping up constant flow OF water. Col.
Seely similarly traced the development OF time
keeping In ancient Rome The dial came first
IRON Greece or Grecian colonies For many years
dlalS, graduated for the latitude OF Athens, were
used In Rome.
DIAL AND HAND
he spoke of the development Of the water clock
into what was really clock run by weight
This was clock with a dial and hand. From
the float cord ran over pulley, and to the other
.AA0 oo dtSdSuCu d HclSuG. Inc puliey-WnofL or
drum, rode upon the arbor that turned the hand
on the face OF the clock. Thus the weight FUR
n1shed the power, and the water served the pur-
pose or an escapement measuring out the power
Col. Seely spoke also of the divisions OF the day
into twelve equal parts, and suggested that 1t was
probable that the early Greeks and Romans and
Otner people, without accurate time-pieceS had at
the pest only dim conception OF the difference In
the length OF the day and the night In summer
and winter.
COL Seely, In his paper, spoke also OF the devel-
opment OF the water clock centuries ago by the
Chinese. In reference to the division Of the day,
ne spoke OF Yankee clock that had been In use In
Japan, now on exhibition at the Bureau OF Edlca-
ZION, so altered that the figures on the dial could
DE read1usted to suit the differences In the length
OF the day In summer and winter, as the day and
night were divided into equal parts
CHINESE DOCTORS EXPEDIENT
COL Seely's paper was followed by an interest
Ing discussion. Prof. Mason referred to a simple
time-check used by Chinese physician 1t was
ch0p-Stick, broken so as to have several angles
The doctor set fire to one end and instructed his
patient to take his first dose when the fire reached
the first angle, another when it reach the second
and so on. One member spoke Of a rude time
keeper he had seen among the Zunfs. 1t was a
plate ser IN the wall OF hut opposite hole in the
other wall. When the sunlight, coming through
the hole, fell upon the plate, the Zunis knew it
was time TO plant corn. Other rude ways OF tell
Ing time were spoken OF.